The present invention relates to handgun holsters, and more particularly, to handgun holsters with security straps attached by hook-and-loop fastener material.
A handgun holster adaptable to more than one particular size and type of handgun can be made of leather, of a sandwich-type or layered fabric construction or of some other suitable material. Such a holster, adaptable to carry a range of sizes of handguns, often includes some type of security strap that extends around a holstered handgun to hold the weapon securely in the holster.
The holster is most versatile if the security straps are adjustable to hold a particular make and model of handgun, from the group of handguns for which the holster is suitable, snugly in the holster. It is well-known to increase the adjustability of the security straps by securing the straps to the holster using a hook-and-loop fastener system such as that sold under the trademark Velcro. One portion of the fastener material is attached to one end of a security strap; the mating portion of the fastener material is fastened to the body of the holster. The effective length of the security strap and angle of attachment of the security strap to the body of the holster can then be adjusted as desired for a particular handgun. So long as the security strap is fastened to hold a handgun in the holster the security strap is fairly securely attached to the body of the holster. However, when the security straps are loosened to allow the handgun to be removed from the holster the security straps may become separated from the body of the holster.
This well-known type of security strap attachment also has certain other drawbacks. The attached end of the security strap of previously-known holsters is exposed and thus can be pulled loose from the holster, gradually or as the result of being caught against something. Additionally, the many hooks of one part of the fastener material may become clogged with lint or other small particles, thereby compromising the security of the security strap.
A security strap for such a holster is commonly made of nylon webbing cut with a hot knife to prevent the webbing from unravelling. Cutting the strap in such a manner often leaves the strap with a hard edge that can abrade holes in the clothing of the holster wearer, particularly when the end of the strap is pushed against the wearer by the weight of a handgun.
Clark U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,466 discloses an adjustable security strap that is attached to a leather flap by hook-and-loop fastener material. The leather flap provides some protection for the fastener material and also protects the clothes of a holster wearer from abrasive contact with the end of the security strap, but the flap arrangement is undesirably bulky.
It is also known as part of attaching a security strap to a holster to include a short piece of plastic or nylon webbing extending across the upper end of that portion, generally the loop-carrying portion, of the hook-and-loop fastener material attached to a holster. Such a small piece of webbing is permanently fastened to the holster by its ends to extend over the loop portion of the fastener material on the holster to resemble a belt loop through which the end of a security strap, carrying the mating portion of the fastener material, can be placed. This piece of webbing extending across the security strap near the top of such a holster may help prevent loss of the security strap but does nothing to solve the abrasion problem, nor does it aid in keeping the fastener material hooks free of lint and dust, and the security strap can still be pulled loose from the holster with a fairly small effort.
What is still needed, then, is a compact structure for protecting an adjustable security strap from accidental or undesired separation from a handgun holster while simultaneously protecting the clothing of the holster wearer from abrasion, and while preserving the adjustability of attachment of the strap.